Call coverage features are typically utilized in PBXs having a plurality of stations including attendant consoles. Call coverage features address the problems associated with unanswered incoming calls to stations. Incoming calls usually remain unanswered because a subscriber or an attendant is absent. Call coverage resolves these problems and provides an alternate answering scheme so that all incoming calls to an unattended station can be answered.
Examples of the various call coverage features and schemes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,962 issued to Davis et al on Mar. 13, 1984 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,436,963 issued to Cottrell et al on Mar. 13, 1984. Call coverage schemes are applicable to a variety of stations including attendant consoles; however, for ease of description, the following examples refer to call coverage features typically associated with subscriber station sets.
One typical call coverage feature is the Send All Calls (SAC) feature. The SAC feature is activated in response to a dialed code from a subscriber's station as entered by an associated subscriber or, if the subscriber station includes feature button, in response to the subscriber activating the feature button. Following the activation of this feature by the subscriber from the associated station set, all further incoming calls to that station set are diverted to an alternate answering facility.
Another typical call coverage scheme is the "Don't Answer" feature. When an incoming call to a subscriber station is not answered following a prescribed number of ring cycles, this feature allows the incoming call to be routed to an alternate answering station or facility. This feature is activated when each incoming call is received at the unatttended called subscriber station. Therefore, each incoming call must cycle through the prescribed number of ring cycles at the called station before the call is diverted to the alternate answering station or facility.
Other types of call coverage schemes are also available to the subscriber or the attendant. However, most call coverage arrangements require a subscriber or an attendant to manually activate the coverage feature at the associated station set or attendant console prior to feature implementation. For example, the SAC feature must be activated at the subscriber station before the incoming calls are routed tothe coverage station or facility. If this feature is never activated at the associated subscriber station, incoming calls to the called unattended station remain unanswered. This feature cannot be automatically or remotely activated.
Other call coverage features respond to each incoming call. For example, the "Don't Answer" feature allows the called station to cycle through a prescribed number of ring cycles with each incoming call prior to diverting each incoming call to an alternate answering station or facility. Under conditions, for example, where more than one individual shares an office, the repeated ringing associated with each incoming call to the called station is an annoyance to an individual's office mate. This feature is disadvantageous since call diversion does not take place until each incoming call rings the unattended called station.
The currently available call coverage schemes require either manual activation at the station by a subscriber or an attendant or allow annoying ringing to occur as each incoming call is received at an unattended station.